Unlocking Petition Reaches 100,000 Signatures Required for White House Response

The petition to make cell phone unlocking legal has reached the required 100,000 signatures to receive a White House response.

Here's the details of the petition:

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Make Unlocking Cell Phones Legal.
The Librarian of Congress decided in October 2012 that unlocking of cell phones would be removed from the exceptions to the DMCA. As of January 26, consumers will no longer be able unlock their phones for use on a different network without carrier permission, even after their contract has expired.


Consumers will be forced to pay exorbitant roaming fees to make calls while traveling abroad. It reduces consumer choice, and decreases the resale value of devices that consumers have paid for in full. The Librarian noted that carriers are offering more unlocked phones at present, but the great majority of phones sold are still locked.

We ask that the White House ask the Librarian of Congress to rescind this decision, and failing that, champion a bill that makes unlocking permanently legal.
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The Library of Congress initially deemed both jailbreak and unlocking legal back in July of 2010. However, in October 2012, the Library of Congress reversed part of their initial decision and ruled that jailbreaking the iPad and unlocking iPhones purchased after January 2013 is no longer legal.

Hopefully, this petition will help draw attention to the issue and help reverse the ridiculous decision that made unlocking cell phones illegal.


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